Chapter 1059 - ........................
The changes that occurred on the player side after completing the trial of the second of the Primeval Four Towers, the West's [Sage Folkana], could be divided into four main points.
First, another Status bonus following the one from the first [Hero].
Alistia-san gave Strength and Vitality, while Folkana gave Mind and Agility. The bias remained the same; the new power was heavily skewed toward magic, fitting the image of the West and its artisans.
Second, how we confirmed that.
Related to the first point, our Status bars... which had been gray since we came here... finally returned. Whether this was due to clearing two trials or Folkana's trial specifically was unknown. Even Kendy-dono didn't know everything, which was a valuable piece of information for Ashe's world-reading.
Third, likely a benefit of the West's trial, [Magic Craft] was the only skill to be unlocked. We spent an hour testing it during a rest. It turned out that instead of using catalyst items, we had to use MP to perform maintenance. This meant we could finally reclaim our equipment, which was a huge boost to our combat power.
Fourth, the blessing we received from the [Hero] had doubled. The Level 10 bonus from before had jumped to Level 20. The [Sage]'s blessing was also around 200 points. This meant we currently had a boost equivalent to Level 40, and with the Wedge stats, we were already around Level 60.
While this was good news, it also brought concern. If the bonuses kept increasing like this, the final location would be incredibly dangerous. We had to keep moving despite the countless thoughts in our minds.
About ten hours after completing the [Sage]'s trial, we reached the blue Wedge.
"...I think I've had enough of chase games for a lifetime..."
"Mm..."
"...Yes."
"I was already bad at them, but same here..."
"Even I might dream about this for a while..."
After the third stage of the escape game, where the black masses had also updated and become even more numerous and varied, we were exhausted. Even with our increased strength, the threat had grown even more. All we could do was run.
"...Well, then?"
"The third one, right?"
The five of us looked in one direction. Beyond the blue Wedge, we saw a small shadow at the far end of the path. It was a slender figure in a dress-like robe, with long twin tails that swayed as if she were dancing to a song.
Unlike the first two who were motionless, she seemed to be humming or moving to a rhythm.
"North's [Saintess Milfie]... does anyone want a break first?"
Ashe asked, and...
"""""........................"""""
"...Yes, me too."
We were all in agreement. We all raised our hands at once.